Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the Portugal national team camp following his recent clash with head coach Jorge Jesus was not the first time tensions between the Portuguese star and his manager had reached such a level.
Ronaldo left the Portugal camp in Copenhagen after Jesus' comments regarding his lack of starting appearances, but looking back at his relationships with his coaches reveals five notable instances where conflicts recurred.
José Mourinho.. A confrontation inside Real Madrid's dressing room
During their time together at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, Ronaldo and Mourinho achieved significant success, but their relationship gradually deteriorated, culminating in a famous altercation following the Valencia match in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals in January 2013.
The match ended with a 2-0 victory for Real Madrid, but the tension moved to the dressing room after Mourinho criticized Ronaldo's defensive performance and pointed out certain decisions he made during the game.
According to the newspaper "AS," the two exchanged shouting matches inside the dressing room in front of several teammates, before Ronaldo asked Mourinho to leave him alone, then angrily departed the stadium.
Months later, Mourinho spoke about the nature of his disagreement with Ronaldo, stating that his only issue with the player was that he did not accept certain tactical criticisms, adding that Ronaldo "perhaps believes he knows everything."
Erik ten Hag.. "I feel betrayed"
In 2022, Ronaldo entered one of his most famous crises with a manager, as his relationship with Erik ten Hag became strained during his first season at Manchester United.
The dispute escalated in October when Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham, leaving for the dressing room before the end of the match, subsequently being excluded from the squad for the Chelsea fixture.
In November 2022, Ronaldo appeared in an interview with Piers Morgan, directing harsh criticism at Manchester United, affirming that he felt "betrayed," and indicating that people within the club did not want him to stay.
When asked about Ten Hag, Ronaldo said: "I do not respect him because he does not show me respect."
Fernando Santos.. From glory to the bench
The relationship between Ronaldo and Fernando Santos was different in its early stages, as the coach led Portugal to win Euro 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019, but things became tense during the 2022 World Cup.
In the Round of 16 against Switzerland, Ronaldo sat on the bench before coming on in the second half of the match, which ended with a 6-1 victory for Portugal.
Reports at the time stated that Ronaldo threatened to leave the Portugal national team camp due to his benching, although the Portuguese Football Federation denied these reports.
Ralf Rangnick.. "I had never heard of him"
Ronaldo's relationship with Ralf Rangnick did not last long, but it produced one of the sharpest statements of his career. The German coach took over interim management of Manchester United in November 2021, succeeding Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and remained until the end of the 2021-2022 season.
Although Ronaldo scored 18 Premier League goals under Rangnick's leadership, the relationship was not ideal, before the player launched an attack on the coach in the Piers Morgan interview.
Ronaldo said about Rangnick's appointment: "If you are not even a manager, how will you become the technical director of Manchester United? I had never heard of him."
Rafa Benitez.. The story of the "USB drive"
Also at Real Madrid, Ronaldo's relationship with Rafa Benitez saw tension, but the most famous incident between them occurred differently. Benitez's coaching staff sent Ronaldo a USB memory stick containing images and video clips of movements that the coach believed the player could improve to evade marking, according to the newspaper "El País."
However, Ronaldo did not accept the idea; he returned the memory stick with a sarcastic message to Benitez, stating that he would send him a USB drive containing all his goals so that he could study them.
